From Antiquity onwards, the camel has played an important role in human exploitation of desert regions in the Levant. In this paper, different aspects of camel use at the site of ez Zantur in the Petra region (southern Jordan) will be discussed with reference to the osteological and iconographic evidence of the 1st century BC (Nabataean), which marks the earliest occupation of the city of Petra, through to the 4th century AD (Late Roman period). The several uses of the camel are examined as a dietary element, a beast of burden, a source of raw material for artefact manufacture and a cultural symbol.